metal halide ballast questions

[dolphinman213]

which is better-- electronic or magnetic-- which generates less heat--also what manufacturer has the the better bulb

the reason for asking is after experiencing vho and t-5's, i am considering using metal halide and vho combination(my current vho w/ mh)
i want a 250 mh single end-- but i'm un-decided on type(regular 10,000k or 20,000 radium
any view points will be greatly appreciated

 

[DTeuton]

They say that the elecronic are better.

 

[friedrice2841]

you should check out Sanjay's Reef Lighting Guide. It is a very comprehensive guide that compares bulbs, ballasts, and gives PAR readings for the different combinations.

Dave at Kermits is also a very good source of information on lighting; but it all comes down to what you want from your mh lighting. Do you want more growth? Do you want a blue-ish look? How much do you want to spend? What types of coral are you trying to grow? How deep is your tank? etc....

All these things need to be factored in and there are a lot of reviews from different people on what has and has not worked for them. Check out the Lighting,Filtration, and other equipment section on Reef Central to find out more.

Hope that helps

 

[DTeuton]

The electronic are better.They dont get hot

 

[just dave]

While many ballasts will actually fire many bulbs ,just firing the bulb does not insure you are driving the bulb as it was designed.
In other words you may not be getting the most from the bulb and at the color temperature it was designed to put out.

You need to know the wattage of the bulb, the format (DE or SE), and is it a pulse start or probe start bulb.

An example would be the popular Radium 20K "400w" SE bulb. It is frequently fired on a "HQI 400w ballast" and people love the look and results but are unhappy with its short usable lifespan.

The reason the bulb degrades so fast in that set-up is two fold. One is that it is actually a 360w bulb and not a 400w. Second there is no such thing as a 400w HQI ballast. The ballast sold as a 400w HQI unit is actually a SON AGRO 430w HPS unit. So people are taking a 360w bulb and over driving it with a 430w ballast hence the shortened life. The actual ballast that the bulb was designed for is a ANSI M135 (ANSI M155) unit.

So the best approach would be to choose the wattage and bulb you want and get the ballast that the bulb was designed to be used with.

 

[just dave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13605333#post13605333 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DTeuton
The electronic are better.They dont get hot

If the reason you got it was because you didn't want a ballast that was as big or didn't get as hot to the touch compared to magnetic units, it would be better.

If you got it to fire a particular bulb as it was designed to be it may not be the best. It could actually be the worst.

 

[just dave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13605312#post13605312 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by friedrice2841
you should check out Sanjay's Reef Lighting Guide. It is a very comprehensive guide that compares bulbs, ballasts, and gives PAR readings for the different combinations.

That is an excellent resource if you know how to use it . It gives you a lot of information which helps you compare bulbs without actually having to buy them. The down side to it is that it uses a very small sample size. Still it's the best we have.

 

[just dave]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13605751#post13605751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by just dave


If you got it to fire a particular bulb as it was designed to be it may not be the best. It could actually be the worst.

I don't know what I was thinking when I typed this but in short, certain bulbs on electronic ballasts will actually perform poorly on that type of ballast.